Hi Craig,

Of course, the wrap of the foot of the sail is much tighter and sort of on top of itself, compared to the leech - there's much more of a vertical "edge" of the sail exposed to the wind... If the boat is gonna be left unattended, you really need to make the wrap above the sheets as taught as possible, unfortunately most people don't make the effort to do so...

I've seen people prepping for a blow by furling the sail with a lot of tension on the sheets while doing so, sounds like a good technique for accomplishing a tight furl, no? Unfortunately, it usually results in the exact opposite of what you want...

Many forget that as you furl the sail, in order to maintain the equivalent tension on the foot and the leech, you need to progressively move the sheet leads on deck further forward. By leaving the sheet leads stationary, and maintaining pressure on the sheets as you furl the sail, you only continue to increase pressure on the foot while doing so, while lessening the tension on the leech....

Trust me, you'll never see a headsail - other than perhaps a yankee - begin to unravel from below the sheets... You really need to move the leads as far forward as possible, or use a snatch block or the help of a crewmember, to ensure that there's sufficient downward component to the sheet leads to guarantee a tight furl of the leech...

Anyone who flies a Code 0, that's the only way to furl those sails as well - you really need to move the sheet lead way forward get the upper portion of the sail to furl, especially since the upper swivel isn't turning as quickly as the bottom to begin with...

best regards,

Jon